A new study finds that self-insured voters could have a major impact on 2014 elections across the country due to the impact that Obamacare is having on the cost of their health plans.
By looking at detailed demographics of the self-insured population, Resurgent Republic concludes that it is the exact audience that the Republican party should be targeting if it wants to be successful in 2014.
"Self-insured voters are representative of the middle class voters Republicans need to reach," writes Resurgent Republic, "They identify as conservative but shy away from the Republican brand."
The impact that Obamacare is having on their insurance plans gives Republicans the perfect issue to sway these voters away from Democrats closely tied to the law.
The group finds that the most competitive Democrat-held Senate seats also are states where the self-insured are facing some of the most drastic premium cost spikes.
"Self-insured individuals in six of the nine most competitive Democrat-held Senate seats face an average premium hike greater than 50 percent," according to an analysis from the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.
Among the examples provided is North Carolina, where a self-insured population of 411,500 faces an average cost increase of 136 percent, with Sen. Kay Hagan (D., N.C.) up for reelection.
Premium hikes for the self-insured also spiked in Louisiana (53 percent), Arkansas (138 percent), South Dakota (77 percent), Michigan (66 percent), and Iowa (72 percent).
The report finds that even though these voters are more likely to identify as independents, they could be swayed by effective arguments regarding Obamacare.
"If Republicans can effectively speak to the anxiety caused by Obamacare, they’ll find an attentive audience, especially in battleground 2014 states."